Caliban, New Spring Fortress.
In front of the newly constructed landing field, the old fortress—once built from massive blocks of stone—had already been extensively renovated by the Mechanicum using plasteel and other modern construction materials.
As the homeworld of a Primarch, Caliban enjoyed far greater autonomy than an ordinary Imperial world and had been granted much more generous access to advanced technology.
However, these enormous new machines had also drawn considerable criticism from the people of Caliban.
Many Calibanites believed that flattening one primeval forest after another with massive machinery was destroying the world’s ancient knightly traditions.
For that reason, Merlin had advocated slowing the direct and brutal transformation of the planet, giving the people of Caliban more time to accept the changes and preserving most of the ancient forests.
The Imperium of Man already possessed millions of worlds.
There was really no need to push even a Primarch’s homeworld into rebellion.
In the history Merlin remembered, part of the reason for Caliban’s eventual rebellion had been the Imperium’s overly aggressive transformation of the planet and the misconduct of the Imperial bureaucracy itself.
To prevent Caliban from rebelling and ultimately being destroyed, Merlin had done everything he could to steer events away from that future and eliminate possible sources of corruption.
There had still been a few minor incidents during the negotiations.
Some elderly Calibanite knights believed the arrival of the Imperium would destroy Caliban’s ancient traditions and therefore decided to…
Assassinate the Emperor.
A group of Calibanite knights had actually begun preparing an assassination attempt against the Emperor of Mankind.
Of course, almost as soon as they drew up their plan, Merlin used his supposed prophetic abilities to have the entire group rounded up.
Don’t mess around.
If they somehow succeeded in assassinating the Emperor, Caliban would probably end up in even smaller pieces than Monarchia.
By now, however, everything concerning Caliban’s integration into the Imperium of Man had been settled.
From this point onward, both the Emperor and Lion El’Jonson would leave Caliban aboard Stormbird transports and travel to other regions of the Imperium to continue the Great Crusade.
“Child…”
The Emperor looked at Lion El’Jonson.
“Is there anything else you desire?”
Even at the moment of departure, the Emperor and Lion rarely spoke to each other.
Perhaps because both of them had the same habit of keeping secrets and refusing to say what they were thinking, they tended to fall silent whenever they stood together.
The Emperor revealed little.
Lion was no different.
“No, Your Majesty.”
Lion El’Jonson answered calmly.
“Loyalty is its own reward.”
She had chosen to pledge her loyalty to the Emperor.
But establishing anything resembling a warm father-daughter relationship?
Absolutely not.
“Do not refuse.”
The Emperor continued.
“This reward will allow you to fulfill your duties more effectively.”
He gestured toward the enormous warship in orbit.
“Take the [Invincible Reason] and complete your mission.”
Invincible Reason!
A magnificent Gloriana-class battleship.
The Emperor’s words visibly shook Lion El’Jonson.
During the time the Imperial fleet had remained over Caliban, she had read extensively about the Imperium’s current military technology and understood just how formidable a Gloriana-class battleship was in void warfare.
“That is not all.”
“The First Legion currently possesses two other Gloriana-class warships campaigning elsewhere.”
“The [Invincible Reason] and those two vessels are my gifts to you.”
How many?
Three.
Three Gloriana-class battleships!
Lion’s expression was no longer nearly as cold as before.
She couldn’t help it.
The Emperor was simply giving her too much.
With a few words, three Gloriana-class battleships and their accompanying forces, along with a vast arsenal of previously undisclosed Dark Age technology, had been placed under the command of Lion El’Jonson, leader of the First Legion and the Emperor’s eldest daughter.
Weapons from humanity’s lost technological age, many of them hiding secrets of their own, were now hers to command.
This Great Crusade starter package had struck Lion directly in the heart.
Honestly…
The Emperor didn’t seem quite so unbearable anymore.
There were apparently still some things on which he and Lion El’Jonson could understand each other perfectly.
“Where do you want me to go next?” Lion asked.
“Where you are needed.”
The Emperor’s tone became more serious.
“We have encountered an extremely troublesome xenos power—the Rangda.”
“The campaign against them requires your strength, Lion El’Jonson.”
“Once you have completed the reorganization of your Legion, command of the campaign will be yours.”
“Yes.”
After giving his final instructions, the Emperor looked over the crowd assembled before the landing field.
Imperial officials, reporters, Tech-Priests, warriors of the First Legion, Custodians, and the Calibanite recruits preparing to undergo the process that would turn them into Space Marines.
Finally, his gaze settled on Merlin, who was doing everything possible to make himself inconspicuous.
“Wizard.”
“Come here.”
“…Your Majesty?”
Caught completely off guard, Merlin hesitated before taking half a step forward.
“Emperor, what is the meaning of this?”
Before the Emperor’s image in Lion El’Jonson’s mind could improve even slightly, his sudden summons immediately set off alarm bells in her head.
What did he mean by that?
Why was the Emperor suddenly calling Merlin over?
Could Merlin’s prophetic ability have attracted his attention?
After all, Merlin had successfully predicted and prevented an assassination attempt against the Emperor by Calibanite knights.
That meant Merlin could foresee things even the Emperor himself had apparently failed to prevent in advance.
Could that be why the Emperor had taken an interest in him?!
Lion El’Jonson could hardly believe her own conclusion.
Could it be…
Was the Emperor planning to take Merlin away from her?
And were those three Gloriana-class battleships merely compensation meant to keep her quiet?
Thinking back, the very first thing the Emperor had done after arriving on Caliban was secretly take Merlin away.
It all made sense now!
From the very beginning…
The Emperor’s real target had been Merlin!
She understood.
She understood everything! This story is hosted at g.com.
Damn it!
Emperor!
You can’t…
You can’t do this!
“Your Majesty…
you called for me?”
Completely unaware of how close Lion was to charging forward and dragging him back, Merlin approached the hooded Emperor.
“Show me your hand.”
“Hm?”
What kind of strange request was that?
Confused, Merlin extended his left hand.
“Not that one.”
“The other hand.”
The Emperor extended a golden-armoured gauntlet.
Merlin slowly placed his right hand over it.
The hand bearing the Ring of Sagittarius.
At that moment, Merlin understood.
The Emperor knew about it?
Did he know that Merlin had entered this simulated world through the Ring of Sagittarius?
The Emperor’s face remained hidden beneath the shadow of his hood, but Merlin could somehow sense a deep feeling of…
Longing.
…
What did that mean?
Merlin couldn’t understand it.
“You have worked hard.”
The moment the Emperor spoke those words, quiet gasps spread through the surrounding crowd.
Was that really something the Emperor of Mankind would say to an ordinary mortal?
When had any of them ever heard him address a mere human in such a gentle manner?
Even the Primarchs—his own children—rarely received such obvious warmth.
Now Lion El’Jonson wasn’t the only one becoming uneasy.
Even the Custodians around the Emperor turned their suspicious gazes toward Merlin, their expressions filled with vigilance and unmistakable jealousy.
Even the towering golden crests of their helmets couldn’t hide the hostility practically radiating from them.
“Lion El’Jonson…?”
Luther knew that the most dangerous person here wasn’t any of the Custodians.
It was the Lion, who had gone completely silent.
And only the people of Caliban truly understood just how important the Wizard Merlin was to Lion El’Jonson.
Luther’s gaze slowly shifted toward her.
She was watching everything with a completely blank expression.
Her face was unnaturally still.
Terrifyingly still.
It really helps the fic grow!